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Made this for fun to make it easier when deciding which Sidekick you want to use/purchase.

That and to make it simpler when making comparisons to other classes.

- Kat

*edit
I am now adding in detailed comparisons of the Sidekicks (Multimen in this case of course as they are the only Sidekicks beyond the Astrub Knight released so far). Below are links directly to the each of my posts in case this ends up being on multiple pages.

1. Astrub KnightCompared first as the Astrub Knight is the only Free Sidekick. He is compared to Shadow as they are both Chromatic Damage Dealers and some were concerned that a Free Sidekick would be no were near as good as a Cash Shop Sidekick.

2. BeelzebugCompared to a Cra as that is what he is most similar to. This was also done the first of the Multimen as he is the first in the Free Rotation. To top it off, I wanted to cover him as many on these forums seem to believe he's awful and I wanted to rectify that.

3. SkaleSkale is quite a unique Sidekick in that he is a pure support. He is a combination of many classes. I use a Xelor, Fogger, Cra and Eni to help describe and compare what he can do. Skale is completely a team player who does nothing that focuses on himself (not even his Passive Blood Skill, Kralove Blood).

4. ShadowShadow is a Fire Iop that can deal damage in any element. That is the simplest way to put it, therefore that is what he is mainly compared to. Take a look and see if you need this AoE damage dealer on your team.

5. KrobaxOur adorable little Owl super hero is here. Krobax is compared to an Air Sacrier mainly with a smidgen of Air Sadida and Air Iop. He is crowd control at it's finest (or at least really decent).

6. TrankThe Deku's from Zelda have invaded and the come as a tank built Sidekick to Wakfu. Trank has a Mix of Sacrier, Foggernaut, and a little bit of Sadida and Enutrof in him. He is a lockdown king and can heal himself while helping damage.

Extra 1. Notes on SidekicksVarious simple info on sidekicks that were collected from various places on the forums. This will be updated as I find or am informed of new information.

Extra 2. Beelzebug vs. ShadowThis was written as some seem to be really underestimating Beelzebug and I wanted to point out that both Beelzebug and Shadow have their uses and similar damage and it's not that one is worse than the other. It is more of a question on what you need to help balance out your party.

Coming SoonJust Lumino, Protoflex, Krosmoglob and Treacherose (not available to the public yet) left. Then I'm all finished.

And on the chart, the listed +% per Lvl for the stats listed under skill is my guess taking the amount you gain in that stat divided by the number of levels you gain that stat. So it may be a little off (given that you may start gaining the stat a couple Lvl's earlier and it's rounding down), but that's at least not very important.

One thing I liked when I looked at this was how nice the Astrub Knight actually is.
Of course you need to compare him to Shadow as they are both Chromatic Damage dealers.
Below are the more similar spells and specialties compared between the two.

Very similar single target, close range skill with Shadow coming out on top, but by only a little.

Astrub Knight's Blade vs. Shadow's Shadowy ChainCost: 3 AP 1 MP
Range: 1
Area: Astrub Knight's area is a Point while Shadow's area hits at a Point and 2 more spaces to
the left and right 3 spaces away (seen below)
Lvl 200 Dmg: -94 HP vs. -104 HP
Conditions: Shadowy Chain is limited to 2 casts a turn

Shadow receives a fun area and a much higher base damage, but is limited to two casts, no mater your AP. The Astrub Knight may not have the two extra targets and a bit less damage, but with 9 or (much the much harder to achieve) 12 AP (as it would require a relic with AP in an unusual spot and a Satisfaction Ring as Sidekicks only have 7 AP base), the Astrub Knight can cast this damaging spell 3 or 4 times in a turn.

If not for how hard it will be to get the Astrub Knight to 12 AP for 4 casts of Blade, I say this goes to Shadow as it gives him a decent ranged AoE'ish spell.

Both the Astrub Knight and Shadow receive +200% damage from their respective passives. However, Shadow can only gain this full bonus in a full party of 6 (giving him 5 Allies for the bonus), while the Astrub Knight always gets his full bonus, no matter the party size. To top it off, Astrub Knight receives an additional +60% damage when fighting enemies below Lvl 60, giving him +260% damage in those instances. This bonus +60% damage to low level enemies also maxes out quickly (by Lvl 60) allowing you to use that bonus as soon as possible.

I would say this passive is clearly won by the Astrub Knight. Yay free Multimen.

On the Free Rotation of Sidekicks for those who did not know:
- Every week, a different Sidekick will be available to use.
- Currently this will rotate through all 6 of the Multimen (Beelzebug, Skale, Krobax, Trank, Lumino, Shadow).
- Any levels your Sidekicks receive during the Free Week, you have permanently. So when they become free again or you purchase them (be it from the cash shop or in game from another player), they will have retained their respective stats/levels.
- The Free Rotation is a permanent feature of Sidekicks and not a one time thing.

On Sidekick Stats/Equipment (most posted recently by Sabi):
- A Sidekick will not have its own inventory.
- A Sidekick will have the same equipment slots (including pet, insignias, etc.) and they will boost his abilities just as they would do for your character.
- Sidekicks will not be able to use consumables.
- Sidekicks cannot pick up pouches
- Sidekicks cannot wear costumes
- Sidekicks cannot attack with an equipped weapon.
- Sidekicks do not benefit from Kit Skill.
- Sidekicks do not benefit from Prospecting.
- Sidekicks do not benefit from Wisdom.
- Sidekicks do not level Makabra Items.
- Sidekicks do not level equipped pets (they do not gain the combat XP).
- It is not possible to feed a pet equipped to a Sidekick. It must be unequipped first to feed (so keep it healthy before equipping it).
- Sidekicks do help you break PP Locks (by adding +100pp to helping break a lock per Sidekick, just like a player with no bonus PP).
- Sidekicks grant the player controlling them a second chance at rolling for a drop at the base drop rate level if they failed to drop it themselves with their own PP (second rolls from Sidekicks do not take into account your bonus PP and is only rolled if you failed to drop it yourself).
- Sidekicks cannot be used in PvP.
- Sidekicks cannot be used in Ultimate Boss fights.
- Unlike players, Sidekicks spells do not raise based on how often you use them. All of a Sidekicks spells will be the same level as the Sidekick. Thus making it easy when leveling your sidekick as you don't have to worry about spell levels.
- Every Sidekick has a "Skill" passive specialty. This is not actually a specialty, but the stats they will be gaining as they level up. You are not able to choose the build of the Sidekick as each sidekick is predetermined.

As I talked a bit about the Astrub Knight (as it is the only Free Sidekick) first, I shall be later talking about Beelzebug next (as it is the first in the Free Rotation), but for now, off to work.

- Kat

*edit
Extra directly from Troyle about PP and Drops with the Sidekicks.

Important note about the second roll offered by a Sidekick: It has finally been decided that the second roll will not use the PP of the player. The PP used will be the basic PP of the Multiman.

In other words, if you have a PP of 200 (100 base + 100 bonus) and try to drop an item with 2.5% drop rate, you’ll have 5% chance of getting it. If you fail this roll, your Multiman will grant you a second roll with his basic PP (100 base), giving you 2.5% chance to obtain it. Increasing the PP of the Multiman will not influence this roll.

Also, following feedback received from the Beta server, it has been decided to increase the experience gained by a Sidekick to 120% of the experience gained by the player, instead of 80%.

For mistakes, you didn't actually note down what Lumino's 1wp spell does, just its cost. Just wanted to point it out!

Thanks very much for the spreadsheet. Saves me having to use the kind of laggy game interfaces.

Thanks for pointing that out, I shall fix it immediately. I actually would have posted my part on Beelzebug last night, but I hit a key.... and my page refreshed and I lost all I typed up..... so much text....

So, writing that all up again and will hopefully be up in a couple hours.

Is it just me or does + range on gear not actually boost range modifiable spells?
(Im only using Lumino atm so only notice on him.)
The last panel(s) are highlighted but not targetable.

Not sure as I've not tested +Range on a sidekick yet. Will try later when I have time, but for now, my next Sidekick comparison.

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Before Astrub Knight got the comparison as he is the only Free Sidekick. He was also compared to Shadow instead of a character some have voiced that something free was could not be as good as something bought. Turns out he's still pretty good (not as good as Shadow, but still pretty good).

Now for Beelzebug as he is the first Free Sidekick in the Free Weekly Rotation. He shall be compared to a Cra as that is the closest class to him.

Similar cost but the rest is easily won by the Cra after looking at the increased range that is modifiable (while needing to cast in a line), the higher base damage with a chance of doing a lot more and hitting in an AoE. Cra victory.

It is worth noting that for Beelzebug, it is his most damaging spell that costs AP.

Now as the AP costs are different, we shall check out the damage per AP ratio. Eruption is at -19 HP per AP. While Explosive Arrow is at -19.67 HP per AP. Yay it's pretty much a tie there. 30% of the time, Explosive Arrow will deal an extra -8.5 HP per AP. That is a significant boost, but it's left to chance and only triggers under 1/3rd of the time.

On the area, it is similar, other than the fact that Eruption does not hit in the center of the Square 1 area. This I actually think goes to Beelzebug. Some have said it's odd, but the useful part of this is that you can target an ally and they will be left unscathed while damaging all spaces around them offering wonderful damage support for front line characters.

So with the damage similar, but Eruption having (in my opinion explained above) a better AoE and a much greater base range, Beelzebug wins this one.

Yes, this is a comparison to a Cra's Air Spell instead of a Fire one as this is the most similar spell.

On the damage and range, they are notably quite similar. Molten Ember loses a little base damage in favor of an even greater range. This allows Beelzebug to have a Fire Spell with Air Cra range and that is amazing. I have to say Beelzebug wins this as since Ice Cracklers exists, a cheap long range Fire Spell pushes it in his favor.

Once again, we shall need to compare the damages per AP because of different costs. While Ankama generally grants greater Damage per MP compared to Damage per AP, we're going to make this simple and compare it as if the cost is all in AP (so 2ap vs 4ap). Pyroclast in that case gives us -26 HP per AP vs. Blazing Arrow's -26.5 HP per AP. At this, the damages are so similar, we shall call it a tie for damage.

On to the main part, Blazing Arrow has a Target Limit wile there is no restrictions on Pyroclast. Pyroclast also employs (like Beelzebug's other spells) a greater base range. To top it off, with that greater range, you don't need to move as much making the MP cost much more worth it. The pure MP cost also is a great benefit as you can then use all your AP on his other spells as well. With all of those points, I'd say Beelzebug wins this.

Very similar abilities these two. Both allow you to unlock yourself from an enemy and put some distance between yourself to use your moves. Cra's, being actual characters, have an easier time achieving a higher AP to make up for the larger cost. They also have a (once maxed) 30% chance to push the enemy by one space on top of the Disengage.

With those points, I'd say this is a relative tie. Though I'm leaning to say Flighty is better than Disengage as it does cost less and the bonus push from Disengage is an under 1/3rd chance to happen. Tie it is though. Very useful spell either way.

Now I know I'm comparing two abilities to one, but the looking at what they do, I'd say it was a fair(ish) comparison as both grant Range and Critical Hit. As the +Range goes, Beelzebug needs to expend 1 WP to achieve while the Cra gets this passively. However, Beelzebug has nothing else to spend WP on. This means he has 6 turns of his choosing to increase his Range. Generally this means you can look at it as a passive. So I'd say it's actually about a tie for the range. Though lets say this goes to the Cra as you don't need to think on it as it's always active.

On the CH's, both get a natural +10% bonus. Beelzebug pulls way ahead with his additional bonus. The smallest party he can be in is a party of two. Meaning the base can always be looked at being +16% CH's. In a full party, he hit's +40% CH's (once we get that Lvl. 200 level cap). This is an insane amount of Critical Hit. Add gear on top of that and Beelzebug really shows his place as a Damage Dealing Sidekick.

That's everything Beelzebug. Of course the Cra wins in the end as they have sooo many more spells and specialties (yay Beacon Sneaking), but for those who thought Beelzebug was bad or a poor damage dealer, I'd say everything listed above says other wise. I of course would prefer to have my Fire Cra friend join my party, but he's not always on and Beelzebug makes a nice addition to the team (especially in Frigost against those Ice Cracklers).

I just want to hear your Opinion about Choosing Shadow or Beelzebug as 4th Sidekick.

I actually play to use 4 different sidekicks on my 2 Accs (Water Enu and Fire Sram) and i definately will use Lumino, Skale and Trank, but im not sure if my 4th Multiman will be Shadow or Beelzebug.
In general i think Beelzebug is the nicer Choice since he have decent Range and can play Artillery to Support the Frontline...

I've tried all the sidekicks and Beelzebub seems to be the least useful compared to the others. His AoE is the only interesting spell he has. Astrub Knight is only effective on mobs under level 60, but he is free.

I just want to hear your Opinion about Choosing Shadow or Beelzebug as 4th Sidekick.

I actually play to use 4 different sidekicks on my 2 Accs (Water Enu and Fire Sram) and i definately will use Lumino, Skale and Trank, but im not sure if my 4th Multiman will be Shadow or Beelzebug.
In general i think Beelzebug is the nicer Choice since he have decent Range and can play Artillery to Support the Frontline...

Would like to hear a Opinion on that

Ah, I shall get to Shadow (my buddies in game ask about him the most, so I might do him earlier than at the end as I planed). As you mentioned though, it depends on what you are yourself. Are you the close ranged type and need ranged support damage? Or are the the ranged player and need close range damage support? That I would say is the biggest choice between the two. Again though, I shall get to Shadow soon.

Quote (Asthis @ 15 December 2013 11:13)

I've tried all the sidekicks and Beelzebub seems to be the least useful compared to the others. His AoE is the only interesting spell he has. Astrub Knight is only effective on mobs under level 60, but he is free.

Beelzebug yes, as mentioned has the least utility of the Sidekicks (other than Astrub Knight, but he has a spear like a dragoon and is free), but he does have amazing Air Cra range, deals Fire damage to help with Ice Cracklers and has a nice interesting (on one spell) AoE. I think it really depends on what you need.

Astrub Knight can do quite fine on higher level mobs, and as you look in the his Astrub Knight Skill (Skills being the stats they gain as the level), he gets some amazing HP to add on to the gear he's wearing. He may have few spells, but the base damage is still nothing to mock coupled with the, even when enemies are above Lvl. 60, he has a boost that gives up to +200% more damage (no mater the party size unlike Shadow).

==================================================

Skale is next on my list (as I don't recall if there was ever a mention of which exactly was the order of the Free Multimen Rotation, so I'm guessing...).

Unlike Beelzebug who is a mix of one class (Fire/Air Cra as shown above), Skale is a fun mix of multiple classes. So I shall be using a variety of different spells from multiple classes for comparison on his abilities.

Alright. First for why I chose Frostbite as the comparison spell. While Xelor's have other spells that remove AP, this one not only had the most similar cost. It is also the only Xelor spell that removes AP on any turn without relying on the Tick Tock mechanic. It also has the highest % chance of AP removal (tied with Time Control on a Tock turn). Yes, on Tock turns a Xelor can boost his % chance of AP removal, but that requires specialties, so we'll ignore that as we are just comparing spells here.

On damage, even at a quick glance Frostbite wins. It costs 1 less MP and deals a marginal amount more damage. It also is not limited with conditions like Icy Strike, allowing you to cast it on the same target 1-4 times depending on the AP you have to spend. Icy Strike can only be use once on a target and only up to two times a turn.

With these conditions, higher costs and slightly lower damage, it however gains two big benefits. It has a higher base chance of removing that -1 AP from a target 100% of the time (as long as they have no hyperaction, but that affects all -AP resistance). It also has double the range. To top it off, once you hit Lvl. 100, has two separate chances to remove -1 AP. This I find much more useful than just raising your chance to remove AP. If we ever hit that Lvl. 200 level cap, Skale will be able to remove -2 AP from a target guaranteed that doesn't have any hyperaction.

Since there are so many differences from how much it's removing, range and limitations, it is hard to say which one comes out on top. I'm going to say this is a tie, but it's a nice comparison none the less.

These spells were chosen as Rebounds are a special thing. Not many things can do it. Yes I could have use the Ecaflip spell Die Alright, but that has 3 rebounds instead of 1 like the spells above and only happens on a Critical Hit. I also could have use the Cra's Piercing Arrow, but that has two rebounds that rebound again. Thus allowing 5 targets to be hit. We shall stick with these as it is a single rebound.

Hand by far wins the damage area, but is vastly limited with conditions for using it as a rebounding spell in comparison. While its rebounds deal full damage as if you cast it a second time, you are limited to 2 casts a turn and only every other turn when it is a Tock Turn (still an amazing spell with super damage). It also has the most restrictive of range. The turn limit on Hand and even not having a turn limit on Liquid Assets doesn't mean to much as it is difficult to reach 15 AP without help as 12 AP is the max from equipment and stats. Blazing Fire comes out in second with a much lower cost, but high damage rate. It's rebounds deal 15% of the damage the main target takes (math done above) and it is also limited to 2 uses a turn. In the damage department, Liquid Assets comes out last as unlike the other two spells it only rebounds off of an Ally. Therefore it is more like casting through an Ally than hitting two enemies. The spell does not damage your Ally when you hit them either and instead applies a special state.

On that Liquid Assets State, that really sets it apart as being a support spell instead of a spell for damage. Liquid Assets can be cast directly on an enemy for just damage, no rebound or effect, but Skale's next spell is for that. It is a unique effect that isn't available to any other class. The only thing I can think of that is close is the Eniripsa's Transcendence that allows an ally or self not to be locked for a full turn instead of just their next move, but that spell costs WP, has limits, makes them untargetable and they can only move that turn (no casting spells). So that's why it wasn't used in the comparison. Liquid Assets is incredibly useful as a guaranteed free move without fear of being locked and it has a pass through to still hit and damage enemies while helping your Ally.

Hand wins if this is a contest for damage, but Liquid Assets' utility and usefulness can far outweigh that damage. Liquid Assets also has incredible range while Hand is restrictive and Blazing Fire is close range. Blazing Fire comes out last here, but has it's place on a Fogger being the only close range Fire Spell they have. I'm going to say Skale wins in the end though just because it has range, no restrictions and that absolutely amazing free no lock move for an Ally.

Well this was a hard one to find a spell to compare with. I attempted to find a ranged single target spell that also had no special effects and this was the closest I could come up with. Both have similar AP costs, range, area and damage.

The Plaguing Arrow however comes out ahead in that while dealing a little less damage and not being able to hit at close range, it requires no line of sight. Cra wins. However it is worth noting that this is Skale's most damaging spell for when you need him to help kill things.

Like Liquid Assets this is a hard one to compare. Also, like Liquid Assets, Appeasement's rebound works the same way. Only off an ally to an enemy, so as a pass through spell again.

Now why I chose Eniraser, an active specialty, instead of a spell is that it is the only other spell in the game that can remove states. On a non-KO'd Ally, Eniraser removes most states from that ally. It does not damage anything or anyone, though when using to revive someone (which will be compared more in the Lumimo section) it does have it's impairing "In Recovery" state it applies. Appeasement, unlike Eniraiser, cannot be cast on the caster, but it enjoys a greater range for removing those nasty states. It also can be used as a minor damaging spell, which it gains extra range through an Ally. However Appeasement is limited to one use per turn. In the end this goes to the Eni, but Skale having the "only" other spell in the game that removes states is very much worth noting.

Ah, this time a specialty vs. a specialty. Much simpler comparison. Cost is simple, with devotion at max it's one of the Xelor's MP to an AP for himself or an Ally while for Skale it's one of his AP to an AP for an Ally. In this sence the Xelor can support himself and an Ally while Skale is a support only to his Allies. Both can give up to 2 AP to an Ally, the Xelor giving up MP while Skale giving up AP. Skale is however limited to helping only that one Ally, while the Xelor can help two targets, including himself for the full amount of +2 AP, or even help 4 different targets at +1 AP. This is won by the Xelor, but still a very useful support spell for Skale.

There really isn't anything to compare this to as it is too different. It grants any Ally an additional +2 Range along with boosting their damage by +60%. It has a cost of 2 WP, meaning only 3 uses per fight, but that can be fine as it is Skale's only WP costing spell (but man, that double WP cost...). Very useful support spell as long as Skale is supporting a character that uses spells with modifiable range. Skale wins this one?

Skale's Kralove Blood vs. ---Cost: Passive
Grants Allies +40% damage.

Another one I'm drawing a blank to compare it to as unlike all other Sidekicks, Skale's Blood Passive, Kralove Blood, is the only one that helps his allies instead of himself. It also is the only one that is not boosted by having a larger party. It really sets Skale aside as a Support Character/Sidekick. Skale wins this one too?

And that's it for Skale. An absolutely amazing choice if you need some support. He'll help anyone who's being locked (which is everyone). He is your only other option other than an Eni to remove states (situational). Skale can also increase your AP like a Xelor at the cost of his own (helps everyone) and can increase your range (situational on that you have boostable range spells). Yay for a fun and unique Sidekick.

And wooooo...... That's two sidekicks covered in detail in one night. Another, another time then.

I think an advantage of Skale is that he can bring his nice Buffs already from the first level on...
Even a Skale on lvl 1 with no gear can Buff 2 AP every round and use the 100% Dogde Buff to maybe save you.
This imo is a great advantage against Multiman like Astrub Knight, Shadow or Lumino (in terms of healing) which need some time to bring out their Potential.

astrub knight is really nice i'm lvl 107 air iop and have one Astrub lvl 65 900hp, my focus on him is HP and Res plus some fire dmg to take down cracklers armor... i can easily solo any mob on chilly now ^^

and its not expensive equip astrub knight... it cost me 10k to make him tank for five turns =D but maybe just maybe he can get one spell to push enemy... just maybe.. Uu

I think an advantage of Skale is that he can bring his nice Buffs already from the first level on...
Even a Skale on lvl 1 with no gear can Buff 2 AP every round and use the 100% Dogde Buff to maybe save you.
This imo is a great advantage against Multiman like Astrub Knight, Shadow or Lumino (in terms of healing) which need some time to bring out their Potential.

That is true. The damage dealers and healers will take time to bring out their best, but when they do, they really shine. Support characters, even the normal ones (not sidekicks) always have been able to support with things like that relatively early. But thus is the way of the game. This is also why I'm comparing max stats instead of how they start out (as you would do the same for when you compare character classes as well, no?).

Skale is amazing support though. This I can agree.

Quote (ALastLegen @ 15 December 2013 16:07)

astrub knight is really nice i'm lvl 107 air iop and have one Astrub lvl 65 900hp, my focus on him is HP and Res plus some fire dmg to take down cracklers armor... i can easily solo any mob on chilly now ^^

and its not expensive equip astrub knight... it cost me 10k to make him tank for five turns =D but maybe just maybe he can get one spell to push enemy... just maybe.. Uu

nice guide kat =D!!

I really like Astrub Knight. Was all giddy with excitement when I saw his Dragoon look and spear. To top it off, for a Free Sidekick, he is very decent. I'm very happy on how well the Astrub Knight was built. A push would be nice, but not as necessary.

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Shadow was going to be done last as he, I believe, is the last in the free rotation, but since I've had a request about Shadow both here and in game from a couple people, here he is.

We shall compare him mainly to an Iop as that is what people already are doing on the forums (but I'm adding other things in as the situation calls).

Hmm, this ended up being a better comparison than I thought it would be looking at the stats now. Cost is similar (both with an MP in the cost), same range, both hit 3 spots, though in a different way too.

On damage, we'll convert the MP to AP and find the damage per AP like in the comparison's before. Shadowy Chain is at -26 HP per AP and Judgment is at -27.2 HP per AP. So damage is actually very similar. To that it would seem a tie. Iop get the added bonus of a chance to remove -1 Range from the targets hit, however I don't feel this helps greatly as the Iop is generally in close range already (yes it may help if you have allies that are far away..., but very situational). On the other hand, Judgment is can only deal Fire Damage while Shadowy Chain can be any element you set Shadow's equipment to be.

They both hit 3 Spaces, one just happens to be in a Line 3 (Judgment) and Shadowy Chain hits the spaces in front of Shadow as well as the two spaces to the left and right 3 spaces away in the same direction (seen in the picture example in the Astrub Knight comparison).

With all of that, I'd actually have to give this to Shadow as everything is relatively similar, except for the usefulness of the Chromatic Damage vs. Pure Fire Damage.

Same AP. Same Range. Same Area. Only difference is a bit in the damage. It is a decent amount more for Jab, but of course the trade off is that a Jab is Air Damage only, while again, Gruesome Sword is Chromatic, allowing for use when the situation calls for it. Relatively a tie, but I want to give it to Shadow for the Chromatic Damage again.

Yay, super 4 more comparison. The biggest discrepancy hear is that unlike the 3 character spells, Shadowy Explosion does not have a WP cost. That WP cost limits the big 3 to 6 uses in a turn generally but of course greatly increases the damage. In reality, we can look at the Rogue's Barbecued Ribs to determine how much that 1 WP is worth in damage. This is because Barbecued Ribs costs 1 WP only and deals -88 HP damage. If we take that away from what is listed above, we're at:
Shadowy Explosion: -144 HP Chromatic or -24 HP per AP
Iop's Wrath: -84 HP + 66% chance for additional -51 HP for a total of -135 on those turns or -14 HP with a 66% chance bonus of an additional -8.5 HP for a total of -22.5 HP per AP on those turns. All Fire Damage
Aynaloxide: -115 HP Stasis or -19.17 HP per AP
Shebang: -106 HP Earth or -17.67 HP per AP

Now that is not exactly a fair comparison making Shadowy Explosion look better as even if we take out how much damage the WP is adding, it's being added either way and the big 3 spells are obviously greater than Shadowy Explosion. Just going to show that the Damage per AP amounts were still thought out.

On the damage itself, Shadowy Explosion is Chromatic, so versatile, but because of that and having no WP cost, it is the weakest. Still a strong spell. Iop's Wrath has the greatest damage 66% of the time, other than that, it is actually the weakest of the big 3. Well, Iop's are still good. Fogger's get two different spells to play with. Shebang can be weaker or stronger than Iop's Wrath. It is at least consistent. Aynaloxide has the highest and consistent base damage. However, as Aynaloxide is Stasis, it is much harder to raise that Mastery (thus the higher base). Aynaloxide's Stasis damage benefits from always hitting the lowest resists for those who didn't know, that and the Stasified State that gives the Fogger a chance each turn to steal some WP to keep casting his WP costing spells more (and robbing the enemy from using his). The Stasified State also helps make up how hard it is to build up Stasis Mastery by increasing the damage dealt by Stasis Attacks.

The more I look at this all, I would put it ranked:
1. Stasis Fogger
2. Fire Iop
3. Earth Fogger
4. Shadow

Of course it is still worth noting that this is Shadow's most powerful skill and has no limit (other than the large AP cost). So still useful. Also, even thought I say that the Stasis Fogger's Aynaloxide is the best, I don't actually even use that on my Stasis Fogger and focus on the other 4 spells.

Both have the same range, but the Iop's has an AoE that allows it to hit 4 targets compared to Shadow's single point target. Iop's clear win again.

Phantom Menace is also limited to one use a turn. The only (albeit super small) benefit is that you can chose to get closer by 1 or 2 cells, instead of only being able to go 2 cells. Thus veeeeery situational. Oh and the Chromatic damage... yeah... doesn't really help in this case. This spells is just a gap closer for Shadow to use his other abilities. Nothing more. Still has it's uses, but Iop wins.

This is something that makes Shadow a bit more unique. There are not many spells/specialties in the game that not only remove MP, but Steal it. That and it deals no damage, so it's a bit harder to find something to compare. There are always a couple different Earth Classes, like Sadida's Fertilizer and Enutrof's Shady Shovel, but it's a bit of a stretch to compare the two as they do very different things from cost, range, how much MP stolen, damage and other effects.

I've seen many complaints on the forums on how this spell should be buffed or changed and a couple people defending it. I believe the people defending it have it right.

It really hits its stride at Lvl. 101+. This grants it a guaranteed 1 MP Steal and a 50-100% chance to Steal a second. Choking Shadows also has an exceptional range and even if you don't need the MP to close a gap, you can still use it to rob 1-2 MP from the enemy to keep them from moving about. To top it off, while the spell says 3 AP cost, you can reduce it to 1 AP with Shadow's next specialty that grants 2 AP. Yes, you can use the 3 AP for attacks, but this again is a gap closer spell. Thus you'd be using to get within range of your other spells that other wise would have had your AP go to waste for Shadow not being in range to attack. See, better. On top of that, if you're still not close enough after moving and using this to Steal MP, you can use Shadow's previously listed skill, Phantom Menace to further close the gap. This is a wonderful spell, but as there is nothing to compare it to, not sure if I can say, "Shadow wins," but we'll say it anyway. Shadow wins.

Well, I already discussed Devotion in the Skale comparison, but this spell does grant AP. Again as listed before, Devotion supports both the Xelor and Allies, Skale's Aqualacrity in that comparison only helped Allies, and now Shadow's Assimilation of Shadows supports only himself.

Obviously the Xelor wins this from simple comparison. Though of course there are the differences in cost. Shadow doesn't use up any of his MP to do so and get's his boost, but it can only be used every other turn. Xelor wins, but for a Sidekick, this makes Shadow the easiest to achieve 12 AP, needing to only gear for 10 AP.

On Shadow's Darkness BloodI do not feel the need to cover this again, as it was covered in the Astrub Knight's comparison quite well. Though to reiterate, it gives +80% damage in a party of 2, and +200% damage in a full party. A nice buff for damage dealers. For further details, check out the Astrub Knight.

That is all of Shadow. He turned out quite nicely for an Iop replacement. Shadowy Explosion came off a bit weak, but still a nice AoE damage spell, then Shadowy Chain for your single target damage along with Gruesome Sword for your cheap AP attacks (and when you have no MP for Shadowy Chain).

Shadow really hits his stride once he's Lvl. 101+. At that point you should have 10 AP on him. With Assimilation of Shadows, you can push him to 12 AP easily every other turn. For when an enemy is to far away, you have Choking Shadows to greatly boost his MP (and remove the enemies) and Phantom Menace as well. That is 2 gap closers for a melee character. Very useful. To top it off he has a decently nice damage boosting passive and his damages are all in Chromatic allowing him to attack in any of the 4 elements as long as you gear him properly.

I would obviously say that Shadow is the better when compared to Astrub Knight (for more gap closers and abilities), but both are good. Shadow is great when you need some damage when you cannot do it yourself and you want that damage on the front line (just like you'd want Beelzebug when you want the damage from afar). Comparing Beelzebug to Shadow, I thing though it really depends on your situation as they do relatively the same thing, just at different ranges (and Beelzebug only doing Fire damage, but that's not so bad with Ice Cracklers existing).

Well i think now that Shadow is really the better Damage Multiman (Over Beelzebug!)
I also thought about using the Astrub Knight, but i think Shadow is the better Choice because he have stronger Abilities and can Hit Multiple Enemys sometimes (Especially with the Shadow Explosion thingy^^) In your Comparison we saw that Shadow Menace is not that strong, but i honestly don´t saw it as a Tool to dealing damage... i would just use it as a Gap Closer to maybe save an MP to Hit the enemy harder and stuff

Well i think now that Shadow is really the better Damage Multiman (Over Beelzebug!)
I also thought about using the Astrub Knight, but i think Shadow is the better Choice because he have stronger Abilities and can Hit Multiple Enemys sometimes (Especially with the Shadow Explosion thingy^^) In your Comparison we saw that Shadow Menace is not that strong, but i honestly don´t saw it as a Tool to dealing damage... i would just use it as a Gap Closer to maybe save an MP to Hit the enemy harder and stuff

Well, again, as I posted before, I'm not sure is say Shadow is better than Beelzebug.

Shadowy ChainDmg per AP+MP: -26 HP Chromatic
Range: 1 + 2 more spots
Area: Point + 2 points to the left and right of the space 3 spaces in target direction
Condition: 2 uses a turn

Gruesome SwordDmg per AP: -28 HP Chromatic
Range: 1
Area: Point

Shadowy ExplosionDmg per AP: -24 HP Chromatic
Range: 0
Area: Circle 2

Phantom MenaceDmg per AP: -21.5 HP Chromatic
Range: 1-2 Line
Area: Point (damages either at range 2-3)
Conditions: 1 use a turn

Now, don't get me wrong, Shadow can deal a bit more damage as he is a close range damage dealer and that is a small boost they get for the risk of being that close to the enemy, but from the numbers you can see, are very similar between the two.

I also did mention that Phantom Menace isn't a spell for attacking but a gap closer like you said. I of course also mentioned it's uses and when.

Now what you really need to look at when saying one is better than the other is:

"Would you take a Iop or a Fire Cra with you into this fight?"

I showed that Beelzebug has essentially the same damage as a Fire Cra, so he is in no way weak. Unless you're doubting how good a Fire Cra can be. I personally have of my 8 or so Cra's on my friends list, 5 of them are Fire Cra's. I'd say Beelzebug is quite fine.

On the other hand, while shadow is still good, he is actually weaker than a Fire Iop, but in exchange can be any element you want. Shadowy Explosion, like any other spell I mentioned of the same type of course has it's risks of "don't hit your allies", while Beelzebug's Eruption, you can target your ally from afar and hit all spaces around him.

Shadow you also have to deal with making sure he can survive hits with resists. Beelzebug can focus on pure damage gear as he should, like a Cra, be far away from the battle zone and if he does get close, he has a Cra level Disengage clone, Flighty to escape.

Again, it really depends on the class you are playing yourself and what you need to compliment your party. I think that Beelzebug is highly underrated by the people on these forums.

At first again Thank you for your Analyzing and your Opinion about Multiman is a Dimaond in the rough of this Whole Forum

Well i thought about maybe using both...
So i definately want Lumino and Skale! Maybe i use Shadow and Beelzebug both then and leave Trank beside...
To answer your Question above, i honestly would Prefer to take an Fire Cra instead of an Fire Iop, or an Iop at all. Well if the Iop is not played by me, he would be ofc a great Meatshield but i mostly Prefer the Ability to Deal Damage also without staying in the Face of an Enemy.
So i guess as Fire Cra or Beelzebug the Advantage of doing Damage from far behind without the need of being able to tank alot of damage is quite Awesome...

Well as Solo Player it´s ofc different, but now with 2 Accs and Multiman i think in Portals now... uhm i mean in Multiman